


That's A Start

by supernaturalie



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 08:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3760741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernaturalie/pseuds/supernaturalie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stefan Salvatore and the reader have been friends for a while, almost by default because of Elena. Elena's birthday is coming up and Stefan has to get her a gift, so the reader helps him out. Enjoy this fluffy goodness!</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's A Start

The gentle morning sunlight made the skin on your arms tingle with warmth. It was late autumn and the leaves on the ground rustled and rolled in the breeze. Winter was nearing so the weather hadn’t been as warm. It was nice to see the sun again rather than staring up at a grey cloudy sky. Today you wore a light shirt, your favourite pair of jeans and your new heeled boots that always made you feel on top of the world. 

You were meant to meet up with Stefan at the coffee van near the park before going shopping. It was Elena’s birthday, and Stefan felt a little awkward buying a present for an ex-girlfriend, as friendly as they now were. You turned the corner to see him standing there, and as usual, he took your breath away. He always looked so handsome, but today it was even more so. He stood there in his grey V-neck which stretched across his muscular chest, his jeans showing off his perfect ass, and to top it off, a pair of hot sunglasses that completed the whole look. 

He waved and you smiled and returned the gesture, that nervous excitement in the pit of your stomach. You walked up and he greeted you with a hug. “Hey there,” he said. He wrapped an arm around you and you couldn’t help but notice how he smelled of expensive cologne and coffee. He handed you a take-away cup full of steaming caffeine.  
“Hey,” you replied, taking a sip and relishing in the warmth of it. 

He offered you his arm and you took it, walking as you talked. “So thanks for doing this,” he said. “I know it’s a little strange but I just couldn’t bring myself to do this by myself. Caroline’s in New Orleans and Bonnie and Jeremy are attached at the hip.”

You smiled and shrugged. “That’s okay. It’s not like I had anything important to do on a Friday morning. Second semester doesn’t start for another couple of weeks.” In truth, you were all alone for the summer at Whitmore. You didn’t really feel like making the trip home and at least this way you could hang out with the girls. Well, that and drop by the Salvatore house every once in a while. Damon was always a little preoccupied with Elena, but that didn’t bother you. It was the other brother than really captured your attention. 

“Well I appreciate it anyway,” he said. “So I was thinking we should probably steer clear of jewellery.” 

You understood why, of course. He’d given Elena the vervain necklace when they’d just begun their relationship. “Yeah,” you replied, “probably. Well, her favourite colour is blue, so maybe like a blue dress?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Wouldn’t that come off a little creepy? I mean, I’m her ex. I’m not trying to woo her.”

“Well, unless you have any better ideas. I guarantee shoes would be worse. It’s either that, chocolate, or a gift voucher.” You set your coffee down on a picnic table and put your hands on your hips, glancing at the stores around us and spotting a bookstore. 

“Or a book,” you added thoughtfully.

“See, now there’s an idea I can run with,” he said with a smile. “What would I do without you?” 

You put the back of my hand to my forehead melodramatically like I was about to faint. “Die tragically and terribly. Well, again…”

“Oh, ha-ha. You think you’re very funny, don’t you?” He chuckled, slinging an arm around your shoulder and steering you towards the bookstore. 

Once you were there, he pulled the door open for you to step inside. “Why, thank you, kind sir,” you said, your heart fluttering wildly in your chest. 

“You’re welcome, mademoiselle,” he replied. “Now what kind of book should I get her?”

You took a turn about the store, pausing every now and then to scan a title. “Ooh!” Your grin spreads wide, an idea springing to mind. “I’ve got an idea. You should ask if they have Fifty Shades.”

His face doesn’t change. “Alright. If that’s what you recommend. Excuse me!” He calls to the person at the front desk. “Do you have-”

You grab his arm, panicked but laughing. “No! No! Never mind!” You yell, the bookstore owner eying you suspiciously. “Thank you. Never mind!” 

He chuckles and nudges you with his elbow, his deep green eyes sparkling with amusement. “Not so cool now, huh?” 

You shake your head, a smile on your face, and continue to scan some titles. In the corner, you see some literary classics. Pride and Prejudice was there, and lower down The Great Gatsby. Neither of those seemed suitable for the occasion.

“Hmm,” you mumbled. You picked up a copy of Les Misérables. “Hey, Elena likes the classics, and she said she’s been wanting to read Les Mis, so how about it?”

He considered it for a moment with a thoughtful expression. “Okay,” he said with a nod. You went to the register and paid, and then found some gift wrap down the street and you sat down in the park to wrap the gift. 

Stefan fumbled with the paper, trying to fold it perfectly but failing time and time again. “I swear to god,” he said sounding defeated. “More than a century alive and I still can’t wrap a present.”

“Here,” you said, dragging the project closer to you. You folded the paper and held it down at one end. You took his hand gently. It was warm and you held it in yours slightly too long. You placed his finger down on the corner to hold the gift wrap in place while you grabbed the tape. You ripped a piece off and stuck down the corner, creating a perfect edge, and repeated the process on the other side. 

“There,” you muttered, admiring your work. You tried to pull your hand back but he held it in place, tracing little circles on the back of it.

“Thank you.” His eyes roamed yours and you suddenly felt self-conscious. He seemed to know what you were thinking, to notice the way your breathing changed when he touched you. 

You pulled your hand away. “You’re welcome,” you said, flustered. “Uh, I’m just happy I could help. I guess, uh, I guess I’ll see you at her party.” You began to walk away, cringing at your awkwardness. He called after you. You stopped walking, your legs suddenly unwilling to move.

“Or we could just go together,” he said, standing in front of you. You probably looked confused, because he kept talking. “Look, I’m not the most articulate person, okay? I’m not Damon, obviously. I mean, I can talk about things, but when it comes to you… I can’t seem to really- I can’t say what I need to say as well as I need to say it.” You said nothing, but inside, your heart was racing. “Okay, I’m not making any sense.” For the first time, Stefan Salvatore seemed human, stumbling over his words and sweating a little. “I asked you to help me today because- I want more than this. I want more of you.”

All the air left your lungs. You didn’t know what to feel. You felt like crying, laughing and kissing him all at the same time, but you decided to settle on the latter. You closed the distance between the two of you and your lips met in a warm, gentle kiss. His lips were soft on yours, moving slowly at first; hesitant, as if he was in shock. After a moment, his arms encircled your waist, bringing you closer until you were pressed against his chest. You breathed in the smell of his skin and the musk of his cologne, letting yourself run your fingers through his soft, dark hair like you'd wanted to do for longer than you could remember. His mouth on yours, his arms around you, the way his tongue slid deliciously over your bottom lip... It was perfect. After a moment, he pulled away, resting his forehead against yours. He smiled, staring into your eyes the way you had spent whole days wishing he would. 

“That’s a start,” he said, his voice low and silky.


End file.
